The Yankees have claimed right-hander Brian Schlitter off waivers from the Cubs.

Schlitter is a 25 year old who pitched out of the Cubs bullpen seven times last year. He spent most of the season with Triple-A Iowa, going 2-1 with 13 saves and a 3.15 ERA (45.2IP, 16ER) in 37 relief appearances. Not bad numbers in the hitter-friendly PCL.

Schlitter has a career 3.32 ERA in 154 minor league relief outings.

UPDATE, 5:59 p.m.: Just talked to a Major League source who’s seen quite a bit of Schlitter. The basic scouting report is this:

Schlitter is built around a fastball that sits around 92 mph and reaches 94-95 with good sink. He also has a changeup and a slider’s that’s “OK” but could get better with a little work. He’s a good makeup guy, “a good kid.”

The guy I talked to was surprised the Cubs couldn’t find a way to keep Schlitter on their 40-man.

“He’s somebody that could help next year,” he said.

It’s worth noting that the Yankees could use some upper-level relievers. Mark Melancon and Jonathan Albaladejo are gone, Romulo Sanchez is out of options and the only Triple-A reliever on the 40-man roster is Ryan Pope, who hasn’t pitched above Double-A. The roster is pretty wide open at this spot, so adding a guy like Schlitter makes some obvious sense.